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Getting Rid of E-waste is Getting Easier By the Day
“When we set up the ASL GREENetwork in 2007 our primary goal was to make it free and convenient for Californians to get rid of their e-waste. Only three months into the program, we’ve attained this goal for most Bay Area counties—and new GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations are being added every week,” said Carey Levine, vice president of sales and marketing at ASL Recycling. “Many people have old electronics items stored in attics, basements and garages. With Earth Day approaching, now’s the time to safely dispose of them. It’s easy. It’s free. It’s green.”
With seventy ASL GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations up and running, most Bay Area residents are now within minutes of free and easy e-waste disposal. Eighteen new GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations were opened in Northern California, bringing the total statewide to seventy. The goal is to have Californians within five miles of a GREENspot e-waste drop off very soon.
The rapid growth of ASL GREENetwork’s GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations means that most Bay Area households are now within five miles of a facility where they can dispose of their e-waste for free. The GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations, from Redding to Fresno alllows Northern Californians to drop off their outmoded electronics, including old TVs, cell phones, audio-video components, computer equipment, microwave ovens, electronic equipment from offices and labs, and more.
The five most populous counties have an ASL GREENspot e-waste within five miles. The goals is to have everyone within five miles of a drop-off location. Thus far this goal is well underway:
San Francisco county 97%
Santa Clara county 92%
Alameda county 84%
San Mateo county 79%
Contra Costa county 78%
Marin county 56%
Sonoma county 45%
Each month, ASL Recycling processes hundreds of tons of e-waste. After unveiling 49 GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations throughout Northern California at the end of January, ASL Recycling has since diverted more than 2,774,878 pounds (1,387 tons) of e-waste away from local landfills. This enormous volume of e-waste, delivered to ASL’s San Jose recycling plant in just the last two months, underscores the fact that many Bay Area residents are eager to get rid of their e-waste but just need a convenient way to do it.
E-waste is the fastest-growing category of solid waste in the United States, and California is leading the nation with its e-waste recycling initiatives. However, unlike other recyclable waste, there is no ‘blue bin’ equivalent for curbside collection of e-waste so most California residents simply don’t know what to do with it. ASL Recycling is changing that by establishing a statewide network of GREENspot e-waste drop-off locations, and by orchestrating locally focused public awareness campaigns. Californians can visit www.aslgreenspot.com to find a nearby e-waste drop-off location.
E-waste accepted at GREENspot drop-off locations includes TVs, cell phones, audio-video components, computer equipment, microwave ovens, electronic equipment from offices and labs, and more. These items are potentially toxic to the environment and by choosing to recycle them, Californians can help divert e-waste from landfills. All GREENspot drop-off locations feed their e-waste to ASL Recycling’s state-approved plants, which use an environmentally friendly e-waste recycling process. All of the material received at ASL’s state-of-the-art plant is dismantled: hard drives are crushed, materials are sorted and then sent to smelters that transform e-waste into salable goods. To become part of the GREENetwork, visit http://www.aslgreenetwork.com.
